Jetboil HalfGen Base Camp Stove

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Home on the range.

You may love to cook outside, but it's tough not to miss the convenience of your stove top range back home when you're trying to boil water, fry veggies, and cook noodles all at once. The Jetboil HalfGen Base Camp Stove won't do all of that at once, but it will give you the ability to add an additional heat source to other JetLink compatible stove systems, so you can step up your backcountry chef game when you're cooking for a large group. And if you do want to keep things simple, the stove works as a standalone for simple tasks like boiling water or cooking a freshly caught trout with low heat.

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A Perfect Choice For Our Camp Kitchen

Familiarity: I've used it several times

The Jetboil Half Gen is a one burner version of the Genesis Camp System. It includes the 9" diameter non-stick, ceramic-coated fry pan with fold-out rubber coated, non-slip handles. The set has a convenient bottle opener in the strapping system that holds the pan and burner closed. The orange plastic central piece of the strapping system also serves as a stand for a 16 oz. propane fuel cylinder; however, we found that the propane bottle rested securely on our table without using this feature.

We selected this version of the Jetboil Genesis, because people commented that the two burner stove had issues with regulator failure and were concerned about the long-term integrity of the tube that connects the two burners at the hinge.

During our eight day car camping trip, the Half Gen performed well. The regulator is easy to connect to the "fuel input" connector on the side of the stove. The female end of the regulator fits onto the rod on the stove and a coupling nut screws on to tighten the connection. It is a snug fit, and we had no problems with leakage when the nut was hand tightened.

On the opposite side of the stove base is a "Jetlink Output" connection that may be used to add another Half Gen or a different Jetboil stove to this unit. The Half Gen includes an instruction booklet, but does not explain how to use the electronic igniter. To use the igniter, pull the red tab upward (away from the stove) and you should see a blue spark emitted from the electrode positioned next to the burner. For safety, make sure that the black control knob for the fuel control is turned completely clockwise (closed) before first connecting the regulator and then the propane canister. We used the electronic igniter, but preferred using a long-stemmed grill lighter instead.

The stove comes with a padded zippered carry bag (10" diameter and 5" high) with handles, a Velcro wrapped closure, and a convenient velcro-closed inner pocket to hold the regulator and/or the instruction manual. It also has a clear, flexible acrylic windscreen.

The flame on the stove is hot blue and provides plenty of heat, although we only used one and a half 16 ounce canisters during our trip for both breakfasts and dinners, and 3 liter pots of hot water for drinks and washing dishes. We used the fry pan to cook a variety of foods including pancakes, potatoes, onions, mushrooms and hamburgers and loved the non-stick surface for even cooking and simple cleaning without a lot of scrubbing. The fold-out handles are long, easy to grasp, and cool to the touch during use. The Half Gen has excellent simmer control, unlike other "all or nothing" traditional brands. This is especially useful when cooking breakfast eggs and sausage, or other foods that tend to stick and burn!

When cooking, the stove did heat up slightly on the bottom after extended use, but still could be used on a wooden picnic table, if needed. We used ours on an aluminum camp kitchen base with a silicone mat inside a screen tent with good ventilation.

When you've finished cooking, the stove is easy to disassemble for cleaning as needed. The pan grill is removed by squeezing the connection tabs together and lifting it out from the drip tray. The central burner unscrews from the orifice below. The stove is sturdy and well-constructed.

Overall, this is an excellent stove and we plan to use it extensively on future trips. Don't hesitate to buy the Half Gen if you need a reliable, easy-to-use burner with plenty of heat (10,000 BTU) and excellent simmer control.